Machine for beveling the ends oe clapboakds



NrE s-rxrns PATENT nien..

SAMUEL W. CUR-TIS, F STOUGiHTON, `MASSACHUSE'ITS.

MACHINE FOR BEVEVLING TI-IE ENDS 0F CLAPBOARDS.

Specification of Letters Patent No; 3,104, datedk May 26, 1843.

To all whom 25' may concern Be it known that I, SAMUEL W. CURTIS, ofStoughton, in the county of Norfolk' and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented a certain new or Improved Machine for Beveling the Ends ofClapboards, and that the fol-V lowing specification, taken inconnect-ion with the accompanying drawings,r constitutes a full andexact description thereof.

Figure l, of the drawings above mentioned represents a to-p view of mymachine. Fig. 2, is a front elevation. Fig. 8', is a side elevation andFig. 4, is a longitudinal and vertical section of the same.

A Figs. l, 2, 3, 4, is a strong post elevated perpendicularly upon across platform B, and sustained thereon by diagonal braces C, C, orother convenient and suitable means. This post has a horizontal bar orpiece E secured to its front face, as seen in Figs. 2, 3, 4; the saidbar having a rabbet a cut therein so as to serve the purpose of a shelf,for supporting the end of the clap-v board, which is placed thereon, inthe position as designated by the red lines in Figs. 2, 3.

A foot treadle F, playing vertically through a mortise or opening G, cutthrough the post A, is supported and turns, at its rear end upon a pinpassed through a standard H, elevated upon the rear end of t-he crossplatform B, or the said treadle may be jointed to the standard in anyother proper manner. The foot treadle, so arranged, is connected, bymeans of a rod L, to a bent bar or piece of metal I Figs. vl, 2, 4,extending, as seen in Fig. 4, from the top of a vertical rod K supportedin bearings M M projecting from the rear side of the post A, and which(bearings) permit a vertical movement of the rod K. A strong helicalspring N', encompassing the rod K, is connected at its upper end to therod `K, and rests at its lower end upon the upper surface of the lowerprojection or bearing NI. The central and upper part of the post A isAsuitably cut away, to permit of the movements of the connecting rod Land the bent arm'or'piece I, before mentioned, the latter of which afterproceeding horizont-ally toward the front of the post A, is turneddownward at right angles as exhibited in Fig. 4. It is tothe arm I thatthe cutting knives, which operate upon the end of the clapboar'chareattached, the same being arranged and acting as follows:

O, Fig. 2, are theknives, which are attached to the sides of thevertical part of the arm I by vertical hinges ZJ, Z), t-he object of thesaid hinges being to allow of a hori-v zontal motion forward of the saidknives, during their descent or while passing through the end of theclapboard, in order to produce the requisite chamfer or bevel of thesaid end. The lower or cutting edges of the knives may be inclined to ahorizontal line as seen inr Fig. 2, and the outward end or extremity ofeach knife has a curved guide o, extending therefrom and projectingdownward and shaped as seen in Figs. 2, 3. Each knife `also has ahorizontal arm Z extending from it, against which a helical spring ebears in order to press the guide c against the fr0-nt surface of theclapboard, during the downward movement of the knife.4 This helicalspring is supported upon a curved rod f, one of whose ends is insertedand confined in the front face or edge of the arm I, while the other ispassed through a suitable aperture Aor hole formed through the extremityof the arm CZ. One rod f and spring thereon answers for both knives, foras only one of the knivesV is calculated to be used at a time, whencutting, the end of the rod f, which is inserted in the arm I, may be soarranged therein as to permit the rod being turned through an arc of onehundred and eighty degrees, and connected with either arm of one of theknives at pleasure. y 'Y A small knife g, for cutting or squaring theend of the clapboard is also attached to the arm I andarranged just infront of' or in proximity with the side of the inner edge of the hingedknife N or O, as seen in Figs. 2, 4. The above comprehends the whole ofthe mechanism its, operation being as follows. Y

The workman places the clapboard, with the thinnest edge upward, on theshelf a, and so that its end toward the center of the machine shallextend beyond one of the knives g, sov that on the descent of the saidknife it may pass through the end of the clapboard and square the same.He next presses his foot upon the treadle F, causing one of the knivesN, O, to come into'contact with the clapboard, and to pass through itand to cut it in a very perfect manner with the requisite chamfer, bymeans of the guide C, which passes over the plane surV face of thelfront of the clapboard and gradually moves the outward end of the knifeforward or causes the said knife to turn on its hinge as it descends,while its inner end or that next the center of the machine moves in avertical line. lVhen the foot is removed from the treadle the knives areelevated by the reaction of the spring N. The front face of one end of aclapboard being thus dressed, the opposite face of the opposite end isto be similarly shaped, and when the end of a second Vclapboard whichcorresponds to this latter end is applied upon the end first mentionedtheir lap will be found to be very complete, and much more so than isgenerally produced when the chalnfer is effected in the ordinary manner.

The object of two knives N, O, is to enable a carpenter to form thechamfer on either face of the end of a clapboard according to theposition it may be desirable to give to the laps, in order to excludeair or prevent rain from being driven into them by prevailing winds.

Having thus explained my invention and the principles thereof, by whichit may be distinguished from others of like character I now proceed topoint out that part thereof on which my claim to novelty is founded.

I claiml. The peculiar method of arranging the cutting knife whichproduces the chamfer or bevel, viz., by hinging the Same to the arm towhich it is connected, and by which it is raised and depressed, andapplying a guide to the outer end of the knife to rest and move upon theplane surface of the clapboard, and thereby regulate the path of saidknife through Vthe wood, the whole being constructed and otherwiseoperated substantially as above set forth.Y

2. I also claim the combination, with the above knife for forming thechamfer, of the knife which squares the end, the same acting therewithand being applied to the arm by which the former is operated as, beforedescribed. Y

3. I also claim the combination, with the depressing arm, of the abovetwo hinged knives arranged in opposite directions to eachother and overthe shelf which supports the clapboard as represented in Fig. 2,-the Asame being for the objects as hereinbefore specified. 1

t. Also t-he combination, with the two knives so arranged, of one curvedrod f and spring e, the said rod being so Jointed to the depressing armas t-o be capable of beingv turned over and adapted to o-r connectedwith the arm d of either of the knives N, O, at pleasure.

Iii-testimony that the foregoing is a true description of my saidinvention and improvements I have hereto set my signature this twentyeighth day of April in the year eighteen hundred and forty three.

SAMUEL WV. CURTIS.

IVitnesses:

R. H. EDDY, CALEB EDDY.

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